Translating Xubuntu docs

[Timo Jyrinki]

2009/3/26 Jim Campbell <jwcampbell at ubuntu.com>:
> I have refreshed the .pot files that are included as part of the
> documentation, and have committed those .pot file refreshes to my bzr
> branch, but in examining the translations page of Xubuntu docs, it concerns
> me that it looks like people are translating older versions of the
> documentation.

The translations at Launchpad / Rosetta are only updated when you
upload a version of xubuntu-docs package with updated .pot files
included in the source to the Ubuntu archive. Then the build system
rips off the .pot file and .po file, and uploads those to Rosetta. In
case of UI:s, the PO file translations then automatically come as part
of language packs, but for documentation the documentation maintainer
has to manually download the translations from Rosetta (there should
be an option to translate all languages at once, if you have
sufficient privileges at Launchpad) and upload again new package to
the archive with the translations included.

So if xubuntu-docs source is now ok, it should be uploaded to the
archive as a package. Then on or after 9th of April, which is the
NonLanguagePackTranslationDeadline, translations should be fetched
from Rosetta, translated XML files should be updated in the source
with the new PO files and a new xubuntu-docs with all translations
included should be done. If you can automate this well enough, the
translators could benefit of download PO files - upload .deb cycles
also before the deadline, since unfortunately testing documentation in
real use is not within every translator's capabilities. (also it would
be good practice in general so that it can be found if there is
anything wrong with bringing the translations into use)

The ubuntu-docs maintainer(s) have also experienced in the past that
if the translators make typos in the XML tags, it may bring additional
work to the maintainer when a fully translated upload is prepared.

-Timo